The Power of Three: Love, Demons and High School
by Jenika Kanaroe
Summary: The new power of three is in town, but this time they're cousins. It's been two years since they got their powers and each have their own opinions. Phoenix, Paisley, and Pepper fight demons, find love and try to suvive high school while powers grow.


I guess I should have seen it coming. It ran in my family. Not quite like a disease, but close. It was destiny, at least that's what my great grandma told me. Well of course she did, see loved it when she was around my age. My great uncle Wyatt was once the strongest thing the earth ever saw. My great, great uncle in his youth was an elder. And now the curse comes to me. Didn't anyone ever think what I wanted? I am in high school failing class because I'm always "skipping," I haven't been to a friends house in two years because my mom said it was too a dangerous (and mostly they all left 'cause how can you be friends with someone who is never there?), and I have my cupid duties as well. In the beginning it wasn't so bad, but now…with this new power arising in Hell…my Whitelighter tells me to be prepared because it's going to be the biggest fight of my life. My life is the biggest fight in its self.

Ding. Ding. Ding. The bell rings. Math is over. I pick up my things. I leave.

Ding. Ding. Ding. The bell rings. Science begins. I open my book. I wait.

Blah. Blah. Blah. The teacher drones on. I daydream. The clock reads 10:05. I wait.

Click. Click. Click. I click my pencil. I stare. I doodle in my note book. Some one comes over the intercom.

"Will Phoenix Abster-Halliwell come down to the office."

Right on schedule.

The power of three would soon be together again.

With out a word, I pack all of my things. There is a chorus of oos as I leave. The immature kind that the idiots make because they believe when ever you are called down to the office, it just has to be some thing bad. I feel the eyes on me as I leave.

I stop by my locker and stuff everything in. I won't need anything for what I am doing.

The intercom comes on again. "Paisley and Pepper Abster-Halliwell to the office." They always separate us when we're being called.

I walk. The halls are empty, except for two girls. One is Pepper, my cousin. She has long brown hair with pink streaks, brown eyes, open with her sexuality, doesn't care what others think and is the nicest person you will ever meet. Her power: Freezing time or persons at will.

The other, her girlfriend, Celesta. She has short blond hair and blue eyes, is an amazing artist and is very caring.

They were outside the library. Celesta must be trying to tag along. They are speaking in hushed tones.

"I want to come with you this time. You promised."

"Not today. We're up against something that is must too dangerous for the average person." This was the fifth time that Pepper had to explain herself. "When we fight a lower level demon, I will let you know."

Celesta looks downtrodden but nods. "I just want to see real witches in action."

Flashback: When we first found out our responsibilities as witches, the Charmed ones, we were warned of people who would try to take advantage of us. Our secret had to stay a secret and our personal lives would need to be put on hold. This severely pissed off Pepper. Her exact words: "No way in Hell am I giving up my life." So a week after we were deemed "Charmed," Celesta was over for dinner at Peppers house when a man jumped through the window. They were home alone. The Warlock, like any other moron from Hell wanted to kill the Charmed ones and be deemed a greatness of the under world. Luckily, Pepper was the one who has gifted with the power to freeze and so she froze him then recited a spell that was powerful enough to kill him single handedly. Of course, Celesta had questions. So Pepper told her everything, and she has now been our closest and only friend to know our secret. After that, we were moved to my great aunt Piper's house a mile away from where we originally lived. There, what our family called the Manor, we train and study with Pipers help.

Back to reality.

I walk past them as Pepper kisses Celesta on the cheek good bye. Then she follows me.

Part of me is jealous. Even though I don't swing that way, she has someone. I am a Cupid (from my great grandpa), someone who inspires hearts to love and a huge advocate for soul mates. Hell, I'm the one that got those two together. Even though Pepper has no idea. But even if that's a part of me, I can never find that person for myself. Is that too selfish to ask for?

Paisley is already in the office waiting with our Whitelighter Eeva.

Eeva is tall, red-brown hair, green eyes, the brightest smile you will ever encounter. She is a whitlighter, a guardian angel for witches and slightly messed up in the head.

Paisley is a freshmen, has the power of premonition. She has black hair to her shoulders, blue eyes and a loud mouth, mainly towards me. (Pepper usually breaks up our bickering.)

My follower and I enter the office. The three Hallowell cousins are reunited after the dull morning.

"Good morning!" Eeva says cheerfully as usual.

"Hi!" Pepper replies, same tone. I give a half smile. My eyes say _piss off bitch_.

Eeva turns to the secretary. "Ok, I'll try to have them back at the end of the day."

The lady raises her eyebrows. _Yeah right, _they say. This is our 19th pass this month and we are only two weeks into it.

Many of the staff at this school look down on my family. We are always leaving school and none know why. And we can't come into school saying, "Sorry we're late. We just got done melting the face off of an albino demon that takes children's eyesight. What I miss?" _Big grin._

Our group leaves. The office's eyes are on us now. Spring has begun. The San Francisco air is warm and full of city scents. My mood lightens a little.

"Where is your car?" Eeva asks me.

I reach into my pocket. I pull out my keys. We walk up to a blue Ford truck. "Right here."

We all climb in. I in the drivers seat, Eeva next to me and the cousins in the back. The car starts and we pull out.

Paisley asks, "What's going on."

Eeva she shows us the way and explains.

There has been a chain of murdered women. They have nothing in common expect that they were killed at night…and their brains…leaking out of a whole in the back of their head. It's called a Psyche Eater. ("Why do demons have to kill in such disgusting ways?" Pepper flinches. "Their demons, what do you expect?" Paisley remarks.) Eeva had encountered one in her youth (she is actually physically 22, but technically 65) when she was looking after her first witch. Though they scared it off back then they weren't able to kill it. So now, she and Piper checked in the Book of Shadows (a book that has generations of spells and info on the magical world) and found that it was a type of species of demon that fed on the thoughts, imagination and dreams of young women just before it is ready to give off spring. She had taken a picture of the image that was in the book with her camera phone. It looked like an average human…minus the glowing red eyes, giant horns, needles for teeth and a tongue that could piece through a skull the feed on brain juices. ("It's like a scarier version of the boogie man." Eeva comments.) She has a spell that can kill it when said with the power of three.

At the end of the story, we arrive. The book had said that it lived in dark toxic areas, so what was better than the abandoned factory that God knows what was made there on the far end of the city, away from civilization and where no one can hear you scream.

Yeah.

"There have been reports from people driving by that there have been screeching sounds coming from here." Eeva explains. "My theory is that this thing brings his victims here, sucks out their brains, and then returns them to where it finds them." Of course she had to make a sucking noise with the word _sucks._

We flinch.

"Why must you do that?" Paisley asks.

Pepper and I give Eeva a look that says the same thing.

She shrugs. "I just like to make that noise." She turns. "Come on."

Us three girls don't know whether to feel relieved with the light tone that Eeva gives while going into a dangerous situation or nervous because it feels that we are being led to our deaths by an idiot that we trusted. I choose the latter.

We take deep breaths and follow our small minded guardian.

The door closes behind us and it is almost pitch black. There are small wholes in the ceiling that are giving a minuscule amount of light. Just enough to allow our eyes to adjust.

We are clinging to one another as Eeva wonders ahead.

There are dripping and creaking noises all around us. We don't know if the drips the hit our faces are possibly the blood of a resent victim that just had her brains sucked out. The creeks could have been the demon slowly sneaking up on its new prey that willingly wondered into its territory and is now a free three course meal.

When we hear Eeva's voice, we all jump simultaneously.

"What!?" I snap in a whispered voice.

"Sorry! I was just going to tell you guys that it might be a little hard to read the spell in here."

There is a dumbfounded silence. I can see Eeva's innocent smile now in my minds eye.

"You didn't realize that until now?" Pepper says irritated which is hard to do to her but Eeva never fails to.

"Well I'm sorry," her voice came from the darkness some ten feet in front of us. "I was thinking of you're well being." Her voice was loud with dramatic offence.

"Will you keep your voice down!" Paisley and I say at the same time.

"Oh calm down." Eeva's voice rises. "This thing can't hear. It senses sound waves to find its way around." Then before any of us can tell how stupid she is, she starts sing. "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow-"

She ignores our pleas for her to stop. _Oh, shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!_

"-you're only a daaaaaay awwaaaaa-"

_CRASH!!!_

Amidst Eeva's grand ending, a figure falls from the ceiling. All at once, Paisley, Pepper and I Scream. Yes I know it's attracted by sound waves, but it's too late now!

We're frozen solid. Speaking of which…

"Pepper freeze it!" I yell.

"I-I-I'm trying!"

Oh crap. It's one of those demons that don't freeze. Well this is great!

There's a swish in the air and I guess that it took a swing at Eeva or someone. Right after that, the area around me is flooded with a white light.

Eeva, Paisley and Pepper had all orbed (a way that Whitelighters move around). Paisley and Pepper were able to because they were related to Whitelights on their sides of the family. Eeva could because she was one.

When they became balls of light I got a glimpse of what we were up against. Its needle teeth dripping with saliva and its tongue slithering out of its mouth like a snake. Its flaming red eyes burned into me.

Its eyes were locked onto me. The light was gone now. I had no idea where my abandoners had floated to. All I could do was flick my fingers.

There was a loud screech as the ugly beast went flying backwards. My power to move things has gotten stronger these past two years.

"Guy's where you are?" I called out into what felt like nothing.

"Over here." The room was finally covered in light. Paisley was at the door and had opened it. Pepper was across from me behind the demon.

It locked its stare on Pepper now. It got up and attacked. Pepper had taken Judo lessons since she was three. She did some sort of twisting, jump-kick in the air, hitting the beast in its head. It staggered back but was up within three second. I swung my arm. My power sent it crashing into a wall to the left.

"Where is Eeva?!" I shout. "She has the spell."

Paisley and Pepper shake their heads. Then from above come a timid voice.

"Up here…" Eeva was on the second floor dock.

Even in that tiny mouse voice, the crazy brain eater felt her. It pinpointed our guardian immediately. It took a look at me then Pepper and then decided to go for the coward supreme. In one leap, it was ten feet off the ground.

"Eeva, MOVE!" We all yell.

She screams then orbs next to Paisley.

The demon rams its self into the person no longer there, its horns scraping the metal.

I run to the door. Pepper orbidly beats me in seconds' time.

Eeva is holding the spell in her hands.

The demon is shaking off its concision.

It leaps for us.

We recite the spell.

I am so mortified, not all the words register in my head.

By the…_something, something, something_...be gone.

This beast…_something, something, something_...never again.

Power of Three…_something, something, and something_...of night.

As the last word is said, the creature is three feet away.

The thing suddenly stops and screams in agony. Its flesh is slowly melting off its body. There is a flesh toned puddle at its feet. We watch in horror. The being crumples to the floor, nothing but veins and muscles now. The heap of meat then begins to boil and bloat.

Then it occurs to me. The last ten monsters that we have fought have exploded.

Damn it!

The same thought must have come to my cousins at the same time. There were looks of fear and disgust. But as if fate hated us, it was too late to react.

There was a loud pop and splash. I felt warm, sticky thick mucus like body fluid hit my face. It added three ponds to my total weight. The smell was of rotten eggs and swamp water. The taste, I won't even go there.

I opened my eyes to find myself covered from head to toe in a thick layer of transparent, purple goo. I swallowed my barf.

We glanced at each other exchanging our sickened looks. I noticed that Eeva was gone again. We looked around.

From out side, she peaked in. "Is it over?"

We glared.

"Phew. That was close." She stepped in. "I didn't want my new close to get dirty." She smiles cheerfully.

I take a step towards her, fist raised. The fluid move grossly with me. Pepper holds me back. What, all I was going to do was beat her to the ground and force feed her what ever this stuff was on me.

Pepper grinds her teeth together. "Eeva, why don't you take Phoenix's truck home. We'll orb Phoenix and ourselves home."

"Ok! See you guys later." Without even asking if there was anything she could do to help, she hopped in my car and drove away. In seconds she was gone.

"One of these days…" Paisley growled. "Why did we get suck with the dullest bulb in the box?"

Pepper and I shrug.

"Can we please go? And orb us to the tub. I feel like I've been through someone's nose canal and out their butt." I moan. There is gooey whatever beginning to run down my shirt and pants. I'm going to have to scrub every crevasse of my body for a month before I feel clean again.

And my family says that we're blessed to be powerful witches at our age. And I don't understand all you dorks out there that want to have "super powers."

I'll trade my life if you want.

Any takers?


End file.
